English Language Arts
Grade 4
15 min
Commas review
Commas review
Tutorial Preview
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Introduction & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Correctly use commas to separate items in a series.
Correctly place a comma before a conjunction in a compound sentence.
Correctly use commas to separate a city from a state.
Correctly use commas to separate the day from the year in a date.
Correctly use a comma after an introductory word or phrase.
Identify and correct missing or misplaced commas in sentences.
Do your sentences ever feel like they are running a race with no finish line? 🏃♀️ Let's learn how to use commas as little 'pause' buttons to help our readers catch their breath!
Commas are powerful punctuation marks that tell us when to take a short pause. Learning the rules for commas helps make our writing clear, organized, and easy for others to understand. In this review, we w...
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Key Concepts & Vocabulary
TermDefinitionExample
CommaA punctuation mark (,) that signals a brief pause in a sentence. It helps to separate words, phrases, or ideas to make the sentence easier to read.We ate pizza, popcorn, and ice cream.
SeriesA list of three or more items in a sentence. The items can be words, phrases, or even short clauses.My favorite colors are blue, green, and purple.
ConjunctionA joining word that connects words, phrases, or sentences. The most common ones are 'and', 'but', and 'or'.I wanted to play outside, but it was raining.
Compound SentenceA sentence made of two complete, simple sentences joined together by a comma and a conjunction.The sun was shining, and the birds were singing.
Introductory WordA word or short phrase at the very beginning of a sentence th...
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Key Rules & Conventions
Commas in a Series
Item 1, Item 2, and Item 3.
Use commas to separate three or more items in a list. A comma is placed between each item, including one before the conjunction ('and' or 'or').
Commas in Compound Sentences
Complete Sentence 1, + conjunction + Complete Sentence 2.
Use a comma before a conjunction (like 'and', 'but', 'or', 'so') when it joins two complete sentences (sentences that could stand on their own).
Commas in Dates and Places
Month Day, Year. City, State.
Use a comma to separate the day of the month from the year (e.g., July 4, 1776). Also, use a comma to separate the name of a city from the name of a state (e.g., Austin, Texas).
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Challenging
Which sentence correctly uses commas to add extra, non-essential information about the subject?
A.My dog a fluffy poodle, loves to play fetch.
B.My dog, a fluffy poodle loves to play fetch.
C.My dog, a fluffy poodle, loves to play fetch.
D.My dog a fluffy poodle loves, to play fetch.
Challenging
Read the sentence: "Although the book was long, I enjoyed it, and I would recommend it to a friend." What is the job of the SECOND comma?
A.To separate an introductory clause.
B.To separate items in a list.
C.To separate a city from a state.
D.To join two independent clauses before a conjunction.
Challenging
The sentence `Well David we need to buy flour sugar and eggs for the cake` is missing three commas. Which option adds them correctly?
A.Well, David, we need to buy flour, sugar, and eggs for the cake.
B.Well David, we need to buy flour, sugar, and eggs, for the cake.
C.Well, David we need to buy flour, sugar, and eggs for the cake.
D.Well, David, we need to buy flour, sugar and eggs for the cake.
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